Keith Mead – “She Had”

Keath Mead is a singer/songwriter out of South Carolina who just finished a trip out to Berkeley, California, where he recorded and collaborated with Chaz Bundick (Toro y Moi) in his home studio. Bundick’s Anything In Returnwas my fifth favorite album of last year, so that name-drop got my initial attention. But just a few moments into Keith Mead’s excellent track “Waiting”, and I mainly forgot about the Toro y Moi association; it was that easy to get wrapped in Mead’s warm and laid-back smorgasbord of sounds. His stylistic arsenal touches everywhere from the lush grainy folk-pop of “She Had” to the glistening surf-pop harmonies of “Waiting”, which reminds of vintage Matthew Sweet. The folk-pop of “She Had” is touched slightly with the type of vintage synth-pop sounds Toro y Moi is in love with, so — if I were to guess — I’d assume Bundick’s primary instrumental collaborations are on synth-geared moments like these, alongside his crisp-as-usual production.

Keith Mead’s new album, Sunday Dinner, is available for free on Bandcamp and can be streamed in full below. In addition to highlights like “She Had” and “Waiting”, Mead explores areas of fleeting jangle-pop (“Holiday”), moody lo-fi psychedelia (“Quiet Room”), and jammin’ rock music (“Navy”). It really doesn’t sound anything like Toro y Moi, for the most part, but that shouldn’t deter fans of any nature. Keith Mead is creating very strong material with roots stretching from classic-rock and surf-pop to contemporary electronic infusions. Sunday Dinner is a highly recommended release; stream it below:

you’re right. it’s a shame — the tracks were very solid. I wonder what the explanation is… I tried reaching out to the artist (who submitted the tracks to me personally) but have yet to receive a response.